Old Dominion overwhelms Charlotte 49ers in C-USA opener
The Charlotte 49ers offered Old Dominion little resistance Saturday, falling 89-58 to the Monarchs at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va.
The 49ers, who trailed 42-16 at halftime, lost in their Conference USA opener and dropped to 4-8 overall. The Monarchs improved to 10-3 and 1-0 in the league.
ODU got 22 points from guard Ahmad Carver and 16 points and eight rebounds from center Trey Porter.
Shooting guard Andrien White had 23 points for the 49ers. Point guard Jon Davis had 10 points and also committed seven turnovers.
Charlotte, playing its third game under interim coach Houston Fancher, shot 30.8 percent from the field and was never in the game. Indicative of the 49ers’ problems from the outset were their zero assists in the first half. They finished with six assists to go along with 22 turnovers.
Three who mattered
Caver, ODU: The Monarchs’ point guard also handed out eight assists to go with his 22 points and went 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Porter, ODU: The Monarchs’ center went 5-for-6 from the floor before fouling out.
White, Charlotte: The 49ers’ guard continued his recent string of strong play, hitting 7-of-12 shots and pulling down six rebounds.
Worth mentioning
▪ The 49ers’ best stretch came midway through the second half, when they outscored the Monarchs 13-0 and cut the lead to 54-36 with 11 minutes, 34 seconds left. But that run had no effect on the outcome of the game.
▪ The 49ers actually scored the first two points of the game, but ODU responded with an 11-0 run – and another 12-0 run later in the first half – to take its insurmountable lead.
▪ The 49ers had little presence inside, being outrebounded 43-34. 49ers center Jailan Haslam had three fouls in the first half and picked up his fourth with 17:13 left.
▪ The 49ers’ first three conference games are on the road. They play at North Texas on Thursday and Rice next Saturday. ODU, Charlotte’s C-USA travel partner, is at Rice on Thursday and North Texas next Saturday.
This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Old Dominion overwhelms Charlotte 49ers in C-USA opener."